US President Joe Biden has asked the Democratic campaign staff to embrace Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee, saying that his decision to step aside was the right thing to do.
Biden called into an event attended by Harris at the campaign headquarters in the eastern state of Delaware on Monday. It was the president’s first public remarks since his announcement on Sunday that he was ending his bid for reelection.
Biden told the campaign team: “I know yesterday’s news is surprising and hard for you to hear. But it was the right thing to do.”
Referring to Harris, Biden told the team, “Embrace her, she’s the best.” He added that “the name has changed at the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn’t changed at all.”
Biden said Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is “a danger to the nation.” He said he will be “fully engaged” in campaigning alongside Harris to win the November presidential election.
Biden has been self-isolating at his home in Delaware since testing positive for the coronavirus last week.